bestseller

noun

best·​sell·​er ˈbes(t)-ˈse-lər How to pronounce bestseller (audio)
variants or best seller
plural bestsellers or best sellers
: a popular product and especially a book whose sales are among the highest of its class
[Isabel] Allende's new book is spun from the stuff of epic romances: eternal love, lost innocence, distant locales, revolution. In short, all the elements of a sure bestseller.Julie K. L. Dam
The Harvard Book Store Café … is not only the obvious choice for the latest best seller but the intelligent break for a shopper's graze.Alice Rubenstein Gochman
Two million copies have been sold, and it has been on the New York Times bestseller list for four years.Judith Daniels
… the two Fisher-Price bestsellers are the company's Fun with Food [toy] series and the Fisher-Price Fun with Food Kitchen.The New Yorker
She knows what the mass market wants—Vanderbilt and Chaps [fragrances] are best sellers—and she has a flair for what appeals to a more specialized market …Amy Singer
best-sellerdom noun
best-selling adjective

Examples of bestseller in a Sentence

She has written several best sellers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Lights Out became an instant Amazon bestseller when it was released by Thomas & Mercer in 2023. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026 Her social following has spawned a brand partnerships division, two cookbooks (including a New York Times bestseller), and collaborations with Oatly, Squishmallows, and Ferrero. Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026 Her characters were situated outside of time and fashion, and this—along with how dismissible women’s stories have always been—was what led the once-bestseller to fall from favor mid-career in the 1960s. Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026 The book became a bestseller that was reprinted more than 20 times and translated into multiple languages. The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026 The number-one bestseller is the Comfort Shaping Bra with Adjustable Straps. Tory Johnson, ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026 Literary agents constantly mine the New York Times bestseller list for the next big thing. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 11 Mar. 2026 The Amazon bestseller has three main large compartments and nine inner pockets, and side pockets. Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2026 But the bestseller spent years struggling through desk jobs and bartending gigs, even a stint as a yoga instructor on her way to self-publishing her first novel. Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bestseller was in 1864

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Cite this Entry

“Bestseller.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bestseller. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

best-seller

noun
best-sell·​er
ˈbes(t)-ˈsel-ər
: an article (as a book) whose sales are among the highest of its kind
best-selling
-ˈsel-iŋ
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on bestseller

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